Sarnia's mayor wants the city to be ready to buy Canadian goods and services first.
Mike Bradley is asking council during its regular meeting on Monday, to direct staff to review the present procurement policy.
"It's because of the Trump tariff threat," Bradley said. "I simply want to be prepared if it moves forward that we can then look at what steps we can take."
Bradley said having the background ready will make it easier to move in a 'buy Canadian' direction if needed.
"I can tell you that staff have already provided to me that it's a very small percentage of our purchasing," he said. "We're probably talking about $500,000 that they can trace back to American addresses. But, I think we should be prepared for the provincial and federal government to start changing their procurement policies to deal with the possible threat of these heavy tariffs on our industries."
Bradley said it wouldn't be a 30 to 60 day resolution, it's clear it will be for four years.
"We're only a month into this administration and look at the chaos that's been created around the world by their actions. So, we need to prepare for the long game," Bradley said. "That's been my message to the border city mayors. It's the long game that matters. Yes, there's going to be some sporadic reactions to some of the things happening, but at the same time let's look at what we can do in the long term to build up Canadian industry and to protect Canadian industry."
If approved, the motion will move forward despite the outcome of the current threats.
United States President Donald Trump delayed the implementation of a 25 per cent tariff on all imports from Canada, and a 10 per cent tariff on energy imports, to March 4.
Since then, he has threatened to impose further tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum on March 12.
He has also signed a memorandum to impose tariffs on the automobile sector and countries -- including Canada -- that levy digital services taxes on U.S. technology.
The Canadian government has promised to retaliate with tariffs of its own.